The invention relates generally to the field of digital photography, and in particular to filesystems for removable memory used in digital cameras.
A computer filesystem can generally be thought of as an organized collection of entries, which include either file or directory entries. When an entry is created, it is usually given a name in a specific namespace that is unique among the names of other entries in the same directory. Each name in its namespace has its own syntax requirements for a particular filesystem. Computer systems may display the filesystem contents of resident computer file storage, e.g., a disk drive, many different ways. For example, a DOS disk will display filenames with a maximum of eight characters and a three-character extension. This is known as 8.3. A UNIX system does not have this file naming convention. Longer filenames are possible. In the world of digital photography DOS like restrictions are ubiquitous. There is a JEIDA Standard related to digital cameras, Design rule for Camera Filesystem (DCF), that has DOS-like filename restrictions and even more restrictive filename assignment and directory naming rules.
Removable storage media comes in many forms: CD, floppy disk, compact flash cards, etc. These removable media can also be formatted in many different variations. Variation can occur with respect to filesystem and variation can even occur in block size when the physical recording format permits it. Additionally, constraints on the namespace or the directory hierarchy can lead to variations. The JEIDA standard Design rulefor Camera Filesystem (DCF) is one constraint set which imposes a naming convention on filenames and directory names on media, including removable media, that is formatted with a FAT filesystem. These restrictive naming conventions have serious drawbacks in the experience they present to the user, particularly for a user uninitiated to computer jargon, and particularly when each file should correspond to a meaningful expression of the user, such as a name for an image captured by a digital camera.
This problem can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,918, xe2x80x9cMethod and System for Managing a Removable Memory in a Digital Cameraxe2x80x9d, which describes a method to create unique folders on storage media that are associated with a specific digital camera by an identifier prefix. The camera will then only store images in that folder. That way when multiple cameras use the same removable storage media, each camera has its own folder. However, in the procedure described by this patent the folder created by the digital camera for its exclusive use must still have a name (folder name) that is within the constraints of the filesystem that is utilized on the removable storage. Consequently when the folders are displayed as shown in FIG. 7B of the patent, their name is constrained by the filesystem and retains a form that is essentially unintelligible to a user (such as xe2x80x9cIM000324xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cIM000339xe2x80x9d, etc.).
There have been attempts to rectify these problems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,517 describes how an additional file name can be associated with a common file. More specifically, a directory record (directory entry) in the filesystem is created for the file using a short name (8.3 for instance). Then another directory record in the same filesystem is created for the long file name for the same file. However, because both the short file name directory record and the long file name directory record are components of the same filesystem, they share the same namespace (permitted character set), and thus have the same character set restrictions.
It would be desirable for the user interface on any receiving system of removable media containing images to be able to present a consistent experience to a user for all filesystems and naming conventions. In particular it would be desirable to enable removable storage media to use any naming convention in the recording process and at the same time describe how its contents should be presented in a system that adheres to different naming conventions.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above. Briefly summarized, a computer system has a processor running an operating system that supports one or more filesystems and one or more removable storage devices capable of storing therein images captured by a digital camera and formatted by the operating system according to a supported filesystem. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method comprises the computer-implemented steps of (a) storing in the removable storage device a first directory entry for a filesystem wherein the first directory entry includes a file name having a restrictive pathname imposed by the naming convention of the supported filesystem; (b) storing in the removable storage device an image table of contents for the stored images wherein the image table of contents includes a presentation filename having a presentation pathname selected by a user of the digital camera, the presentation pathname being independent of the naming convention of the supported filesystem; and (c) storing in the image table of contents a linkage between the image table of contents and the first directory such that the presentation pathname may be mapped into the restrictive pathname whenever the first directory is accessed for presentation by a user interface of a receiving system.
The advantage of the invention is that inclusion of a standardized Image Table of Contents file on removable storage will enable the presentation of a consistent user interface on a receiving system even when the removable storage media has been recorded with varying filesystems and naming conventions.
These and other aspects, objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood and appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and appended claims, and by reference to the accompanying drawings.